Syrian Forces Kill 12 Civilians as Regime Says 4 'Terrorists' Dead

At least 12 Syrians were shot dead Monday in raids by security forces in the central provinces of Homs and Hama, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

The state news agency SANA said four "terrorists" were killed, including a suspect high on a wanted list, while also reporting that two judges were kidnapped in Hama.

"Two people were killed and seven others were wounded in Homs while two others died and eight were wounded in (nearby) Qusayr by gunfire during raids on Monday morning by the army and security forces," said the Observatory earlier on Monday.

And the Local Coordination Committees said as many as seven people, including a Saudi national, were killed, including six in Homs, and that a 65-year-old man died from "random shooting by security forces" in Karnaz.

At least 24 more people were reported to have been killed at the weekend, adding to the U.N. figure of the more than 3,500 deaths in the crackdown since mid-March.